Whale Fall To Sound Tigers In Overtime, 5-4

Information provided by the Connecticut Whale

HARTFORD — The home team fell to the in-state rival Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5-4 in overtime Friday night at the XL Center.

Connecticut was solid for two periods, picking up goals from Kelsey Tessier and Brandon Segal, as well as Mike Vernace and Blake Parlett, the blueliners who have made a sudden yet apparent impact on the scoresheet.

Early in the first, Dylan McIlrath kept the puck in the zone for the Whale and ultimately found Andrew Yogan. Yogan fed J.T. Miller behind the net and Miller found Tessier in the slot to get on the board just 38 seconds in.

Newcomer Andrew Carroll, with Connecticut on a professional tryout from the ECHL Idaho Steelheads, was called for at 3:13, but the Whale penalty killers allowed just one shot. Bridgeport was 1-for-2 on power plays Friday night.

Connecticut stretched the lead to 2-0 when Vernace fed Kris Newbury on a break-in. Newbury slid the puck across to Segal, who fired short-side from the half boards on Bridgeport goalie Kevin Poulin for his 13th goal of the year, at 5:41.

Bridgeport made it 2-1 when Kirill Kabanov fed the puck to Donovan, who steered it right toward the net. Despite being well covered, Matt Watkins got a stick to the inside and tipped it past Cam Talbot for his eighth goal on the season.

Nathan McIver earned his 193rd penalty minute of the season with an interference minor at 10:29, but the Whale failed to convert, with Poulin lunging at one point to protect against a Brandon Mashinter backhand. With 65 seconds left in the period, Poulin made his 10th save of the game, and the period would end with Connecticut leading 2-1, with an 11-6 shooting advantage.

Twenty-two seconds into the second, the puck rolled around the half boards of the Sound Tigers' offensive zone. Bridgeport's Ty Wishart collected it at the point and stepped to the middle, shooting and getting help from Blair Riley, who tipped the puck in the slot for his fifth goal of the year to tie it at 2.

Mark Cantin got his stick in Tessier's face and 2 1/2 minutes later it cost Bridgeport. Vernace let fly a long outlet to Michael Haley, who broke in and pulled a wrister past Poulin at 7:24. Vernace has six points in the last four games.

But with just over four minutes to play in the second, Brock Nelson pulled the puck from behind the net to the corner and found Connecticut native Sean Backman, who passed to Jack Combs. Combs put his own rebound in to tied the game again, 3-3.

Bridgeport took a penalty late for too many men and Blake Parlett scored on a one-timer with 25.5 seconds to give the Whale a 4-3 lead heading into the third period.

The third opened with a quick Bridgeport flurry of shots. Coach Ken Gernander said after the game, "We should have had the upper hand, we were fresh and we didn't finish. We're looking for full 60-minute games, not 40 or 52."

Newbury found himself in the box at 5:03 for flipping the puck over his defensive glass. On the ensuing man-up, Aaron Ness shot the puck in to traffic from the bench-side point. The puck popped up in the air and John Persson was there to finish at 7:10 with his season's 15th. The goal was Bridgeport's 10th shot of the period.

Connecticut stayed in the game despite being outshot 18-7 in the third.

The extra period opened with Watkins having a chance on Cam Talbot's doorstep and Nelson batting the puck at his own goal 92 seconds in, but at 1:57 it was over after Backman scored with assists from Persson and Jon Landry for a 5-4 Bridgeport win. Poulin finished with 32 saves on 36 shots against; Talbot held off 36 of 41.